The Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS) including type 2 diabetes mellitus, which refers to a cluster of manifestations including insulin resistance with accompanying hyperinsulinaemia, possible type 2 diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, central (visceral) obesity, dyslipidaemia observed as deranged lipoprotein levels typically is characterised by elevated VLDL (very low density lipoproteins), small dense LDL particles and reduced HDL (high density lipoprotein) concentrations and reduced fibrinolysis.
Recent epidemiological research has documented that individuals with insulin resistance run a greatly increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, notably suffering from myocardial infarction and stroke. In type 2 diabetes mellitus atherosclerosis related conditions cause up to 80% of all deaths.
In clinical medicine there is awareness of the need to increase the insulin sensitivity in IRS suffering patients and thus to correct the dyslipidaemia which is considered to cause the accelerated progress of atherosclerosis. However, currently this is not a universally well defined disease.
Modulators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR, for a review of the PPARs see T. M. Willson et al, J Med Chem 2000, Vol 43, 527) are effective in treating conditions associated with insulin resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,783 discloses that certain benzyloxy-substituted phenylglycinolamides which have a cycloalkyl substituent are antiatherosclerotic medicaments. This document does not disclose or suggest the compounds of the present invention. Surprisingly a series of compounds has now been found which are selective PPARα modulators.